What is Family Therapy?
Family Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that supports families to nurture change, growth, and development. This therapeutic intervention understands change in terms of the system of interactions between family members. Within the field of family therapy, all schools of thought operate by a common understanding that regardless of the origin of “the problem,” and regardless of whether the family members consider it to be an “individual” or “family” problem, involving the whole family in the solution benefits not only the individual family members, but the family system as a whole. The role of the therapist within family therapy is to highlight and capitalize on the individual family member’s strengths, wisdom, and support, such that the family system as a unit, benefits.
Generally, a growing body of literature shows that systemic family therapy significantly improves overall family functioning. This perspective views symptoms of dysfunction as serving a purpose to the family and highlights the areas that the family is having difficulty resolving. Within a systemic family approach, families apply solutions to current problems that have been useful in the past. However, as the family dynamic evolves and family challenges increase in difficulty, solutions need to evolve and increase in complexity as well. The aim of systemic family therapy is to create and implement behaviours and solutions that are novel from those that have been attempted previously.
Issues that Can be Addressed within Family Therapy:
- Abandonment or Avoidant Behaviour
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Attachment Injuries
- Child and Adolescent Issues
- Communication and Conflict Resolution
- Coping Skills
- Coping with Stress
- Family Conflict
- Grief, Loss, Death and Dying
- Impact of Stress on the Family
- Parenting
- Self-Esteem and Esteem for Others
- Suicidality and Self-Harm
At Toronto Psychological Services, we offer sensitive, experienced and professional services that facilitate growth and development of the family structure in its entirety. All parties involved will be supported by a clinician with significant education, training and expertise in psychological functioning, child psychology, family systems therapy, developmental psychology, and adult psychology. For more information about our Family Therapy Services, or to book an appointment with one of our clinical therapists, call (416) 531-0727 or email info@torontopsychologicalservices.com.